Social media is a maze – and one with changing rules. The ‘bait and switch’ of paying to build an audience on Facebook and then paying to reach them has been apparent, and now they are looking to remove artist posts from the news feed. Yet they, and other social media platforms, promise cheap access to targeted audiences but you need to now how to play the system to maximise the impact of time and money spent.

Recorded music is more prevalent than ever. YouTube, Spotify, Vevo, Apple Music, Soundcloud, Deezer and many more services exist to ensure that music is available whenever customers want.

In a world of infinite choice, artists choosing which platforms to focus on can be as difficult as a consumer choosing what to listen to. Playlists generate attention, but are they really good for converting people to fans? Where should you spend your limited budget?

35% of London’s grassroots music venues have been lost since 2007. Luckily for London, the tide appears to be turning. Brighton seems to be doing OK too but what about the rest of South East England? And what exactly IS a “grass roots music venue?”

How will the “agent of change” principle help grassroots music venues? Can business rates for venues be cut? How do we bring developers, councils and the music industry together so they can work together to improve things?

As the festival market gets ever more crowded, big-ticket acts become one of the key ways a festival can distinguish itself from its competition. A study by Music Week last year looked at the line-ups for five major festivals (Glastonbury, T in the Park, Reading & Leeds, V and the Isle of Wight Festival) between 2006 and 2015. It found that only 5 out of 140 headline slots had been taken by “new” acts – that is, acts who had released their debut albums in that same period.

What should a headliner be? What about the gender and ethnic make-up of the headliner? Who will be the headliners of 2018? St Vincent? Lana Del Rey? Prophets of Rage?

Using data trends from 2017 Chris Carey explores where the music industry will go from here.

Whitefield

11:00Traditional Labels vs Label ServicesPanel

There are so many different ways of releasing music! From the traditional model, to label services and the various DIY models that are on offer nowadays. Which one is right for me, and how do I know?

In this panel, we will weigh up the various types of company available to release music, look at what THEY are looking to release, the various economic models, and how to differentiate between the available options.

Last summer, the out-and-out market leader of music streaming, Spotify, was nearly bought by one of its Chinese competitors, Tencent. Who knows how that might have changed the future for all of us in music! Is Streaming “the new normal for how we listen to music?” If this is indeed the case, what does it mean? The end of the album? When is a business model going to exist that makes streaming profitable, and profitable for whom?!

Surely the fact that we will live in an age where Apple, Amazon and Google can choose to use and abuse music as a loss leader whilst building their primary businesses can only spell disaster for musicians and songwriters?! Or is the fact that the music industry is finally growing again after years of decline an exciting time for us to be in music?

Live has always been a key way of gaining fans, so much so that Record Labels used to pay artists' costs to cover their tour, so the band could sell more albums. Live music has become one of the core revenue drivers for artists in recent years, which means it’s more crowded and harder to stand out from the masses.

Strategies vary, from putting on your own shows, to playing the ‘toilet tour’, supporting much larger acts and playing a lot of festivals.

Carey

11:00Brighton Music CityPanel

Thanks to its liberal history and outlook, its proximity to London, the emergence of The Great Escape and indeed BIMM, Brighton has always punched above its weight when it comes to a vibrant music scene. But what IS a Music City and what makes it tick? What is Brighton good for, and what can other cities learn from it? What does it lack? What can we learn from Music Cities that are well funded by public money such as Berlin? Where does Brighton go next?

Brighton has always broken the mould when it comes to radio. Despite going through various owners, Juice FM has been locally owned for much of its life, and has managed to not sound identical to its samey counterparts in other cities. It has spawned Platform B, that calls itself “next generation radio.” What is it? What does that mean?! Along with Radio Reverb, 1 Brighton FM (“Radio for the people, by the people”) Totally Radio, and an annual radio conference here in Brighton, radio appears to be in rude health. But do YOU listen to radio? Aren’t Podcasts the new thing?

How has Songwriting changed in the digital era? Is the old maxim “Don’t bore us, get to the chorus!” even more important in the modern world? Are songs getting shorter? Or simpler?! Why does the concept of co-writing seem to be more and more prevalent in 2017? Our panel will explore how the art of Songwriting is – or indeed ISN’T – changing thanks to the technological and commercial changes taking place around us.

Chaired by Help Musicians UK (HMUK), the largest provider of health and welfare support for the British music industry, this panel session follows the launch of #MusicMindsMatter, a ground-breaking campaign dedicated to launching a 24/7 mental health helpline and service for people working within the music industry.

The session will explore and discuss the music industry’s response to mental health and its surrounding issues, and the work of the #MusicMindsMatter campaign which combines listening, advice and signposting with clinical, medical, therapeutic and welfare support for those who need it.

Edwards

11:00UK Music Presents: Kickstart Your CareerPanel

UK Music joins BIMM on the 2nd stop on the nationwide MAP Roadshow, in partnership with BBC Introducing.

As part of our commitment to music education and employability, UK Music will be telling you how you can kickstart your career in music, joined by our members the Association of Independent Music, The Musicians Union and PPL and BBC Introducing presenter Stephanie Nieuwehuys.

Our experts will take you through a step by step guide to employability in this fast paced and exciting industry. They’ll tell you what to expect along your journey, from your first big break to biggest challenges and new opportunities.

The emergence of mobile ticketing-focused start-ups like DICE has forced the rest of the industry to up its game. Dynamic pricing – similar to what we are used to in the world of flights and hotels - is being investigated. Mobile platforms work differently to the traditional models. And what about the secondary ticketing market? How are companies such as Viagogo, Stub Hub, Getmein and Seatwave allowed to exist? How is it that Ticketmaster in fact owns the latter two companies? Everyone involved in the ticketing world likes to own their own data – can't we share this to our mutual benefit?

From the glory days of NME, Melody Maker and Sounds, to piles of free NME magazines outside of tube stations, the future of music journalism has changed beyond all recognition. Who do we trust nowadays? Can we be sure journalists or reviewers are unbiased/unpaid by who they are writing about? Do we want to read album reviews before we buy/listen, or are our own ears the gatekeepers in the world of streaming?

Are writers paid fairly in the new Streaming world? When we look into streaming income in detail, who gets what slice of the cake, and why? Writers and Publishers will help us navigate through a new world where writers have to fight for every penny they earn.